One of the key features of the ATMOsphere Europe 2011 event, organised in Brussels last 11-12 October, was to prepare a draft 10-point action plan on how to bring natural refrigerants faster to Europe. We are pleased to announce the European 10 Point Action Plan for 2012-2013.

ATMOsphere Europe 2011 organisers have collected feedback from this workshop session to present a voluntary industry roadmap with prioritised actions.

After analysing over 600 pages from the ATMOsphere Europe workshop we are pleased to announce the European 10 Point Action Plan for 2012-2013

Voluntary Roadmap

This Voluntary Roadmap is the result of thorough industry consultation to set concrete and achievable targets for 2012 - 2013. It addresses the educational, technological, financial and information barriers challenging the use of natural refrigerants – air, ammonia, carbon dioxide, water and the group of hydrocarbons:

• 1000 responses were received to a global HVAC&R industry survey between February and September 2011 to identify the market potential for natural refrigerants, and outline main barriers to be overcome. This Roadmap takes account of major concerns within the natural refrigerants industry.

• 100 organisations met at the international workshop “ATMOsphere Europe” on 11-12 October 2011 in Brussels. This Roadmap is the result of workshop discussions to select and prioritise initiatives that can serve best to advance the use of natural refrigerant solutions in Europe.

• 10 actions are the outcome of this process. While it is of voluntary nature, the signatories of the ATMOsphere Roadmap will join forces in putting into practice these 10 Key Actions that require strong leadership and co-operation. You can find the details of these 10 actions in the linked document.

It is important to understand that this European 10 Point Action Plan for 2012-2013 is a Voluntary Roadmap meant to generate a positive momentum for natural refrigerants. It is not about criticising other alternatives.

Next steps

This roadmap will be shared worldwide with industry and policy experts involved in the HVAC&R sector.

To kick this process off, shecco is the first signatory and the organisers aim to have many more over the coming weeks and months. Once a critical mass of industry signatories has been reached a formal announcement will be made.

The organisers invite all organisations to take ownership of any of these actions and hope that, together, we can deliver on this voluntary, open call to action.

To read ATMOsphere Roadmap for Natural Refrigerants in Europe, click here